“We are shocked and stunned by this afternoon’s event. Our thoughts are with the families affected,” said Michel Chartrand, chief operating officer, Neptune Technologies & Bioressources. “Our thoughts are also with all those who were injured as a result of this incident, and we sincerely hope that they recover.”

The report says nineteen people have been injured, four of them with critical burns.

The company has just issued a statement, updating the situation:

“We are shocked and stunned by this afternoon’s event. Our thoughts are with the families affected,” said Michel Chartrand, chief operating officer, Neptune Technologies & Bioressources. “Our thoughts are also with all those who were injured as a result of this incident, and we sincerely hope that they recover.”

“As soon as we were notified of the situation, we made our way to Sherbrooke. Upon our arrival, we began working with emergency services to understand what caused this incident. We will continue to closely collaborate with them for as long as it is necessary. We want to understand what happened,” concluded Mr. Chartrand.

At the Quebec manufacturing facility Neptune Technologies manufactures Krill oil. Krill are shrimplike crustaceans that are the primary food source of marine life such as salmon, whales and rockfish. The company was planning an expansion at the plant that would have increased production capacity to 300 metric tonnes by the fourth quarter of fiscal 2013, and then to 500 metric tonnes by Q4, 2014.

Shares of Neptune, which were halted at 2:37 p.m. EST today, were down 10% to $3.32.

About Nick Waddell

Cantech Letter founder and editor Nick Waddell has lived in five Canadian provinces and is proud of his country's often overlooked contributions to the world of science and technology. Waddell takes a regular shift on the Canadian media circuit, making appearances on CTV, CBC and BNN, and contributing to publications such as Canadian Business and Business Insider.